Gianni Pittella

ITALY

European Parliament

Pittella is best known in Parliament for having led the Socialists and Democrats down the tubes. Unable to properly engage in back-room power dinners because of his poor English and German, he has made his group less relevant than it has been in years, taking the Socialists out of a “grand coalition” arrangement with the European People’s Party. Pittella is also friends with Joseph Mifsud, the “mystery professor” in Robert Mueller’s U.S. election investigation and was listed as a “visiting professor” at Mifsud’s so-called London Academy of Diplomacy. In 2018 Pittella irked some colleagues by running for the Italian Senate without relinquishing his party or Parliament responsibilities.

Political group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)